Mexican Soup with Chicken and Vegetables

This Mexican soup is fresh, flavourful and perfect for lunch or dinner! Shredded chicken, corn, black beans and vegetables are simmered in a rich tomato base that is loaded with Mexican flavours. Top it with some crunchy tortilla chips, avocado and lime for the perfect meal.

Why you’ll love this recipe

• Quick and easy – everything is thrown together in just one pot and is ready in less than 25 minutes.
• Healthy – nutritious veggies, chicken breast and beans make a protein-packed dinner that is packed with goodness; and filling too!
• Customise to suit – swap the chicken breast for leftover shredded chicken or rotisserie chicken, make it vegetarian or adapt the veggies to suit what you have in the fridge.
• Ultra-comforting – serve it with crunchy tortilla chips, sour cream or your favourite Mexican sides for a hearty, warming and complete family meal.
• Make ahead – this soup stores beautifully and tastes even better the next day. It can also be frozen for an easy heat-and-eat dinner on busy nights.
• Slow cooker and stove top methods – this soup can be made in a slow cooker, pressure cooker or on the stovetop. Instructions for all 3 methods can be found below.

Ingredients you will need

** This post contains tips and instructions to achieve the best possible results. This photo is a great guide for when you are in the supermarket, but for full ingredient quantities and methods, please scroll down to the detailed recipe card below!

• Chicken breast – chicken is cut into strips and poached in the soup, before being shredded and returned to the soup. Alternatively, use chicken thighs, or swap for leftover chicken or a rotisserie/BBQ chicken for an easy shortcut. Just chop it up and toss it through the soup at the end to heat through.
• Canned tomatoes – Roasted canned tomatoes add a lovely, smoky flavour to the soup. Alternatively, regular diced tomatoes or even passata can be used.
• Veggies – celery, carrot, onion and garlic make the flavour-base of the soup. Potatoes and corn are also added. But feel free to use whatever fresh or frozen vegetables you have on hand.
• Black beans – canned black beans from the supermarket are the easiest and cheapest option, but you can also make your own. Drain them before adding them to the soup.
• Paprika – use sweet Hungarian paprika rather than smoked or hot paprika.
• Cayenne/chilli – chilli adds a little warmth to the soup. Adjust the heat levels to taste, or leave it out entirely if preferred.
• Lime – acid from freshly squeezed lime juice brightens and lifts the flavours. Some juice is added to the soup, but I highly recommend serving it with some additional lime wedges!
• Stock – liquid chicken stock forms the base of the soup. Swap for vegetable stock for a vegetarian option. Chicken bone broth can also be used.

Step by step instructions

Full ingredient notes and quantities can be found in the detailed recipe card below.

1. Slice the chicken and add it to a large soup pot.
2. Add the remaining soup ingredients and bring to a low simmer. Simmer for 15 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender and the chicken breasts have poached/cooked through.
3. Shred the chicken. Carefully remove the chicken pieces from the soup and shred them into small pieces using two forks.
4. Return the chicken to the soup and stir until combined.
5. Serve with your favourite toppings.

The chicken is sliced into 2-3 pieces to allow it to cook through. Cooking times will vary depending on the size of the chicken pieces. Alternatively, add some leftover, shredded chicken or rotisserie chicken at the end.

Slow/pressure cooker instructions;

This is a soup that is perfect for slow cooking. Just put everything (including the chicken pieces) into the bowl of your slow cooker on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours. For the pressure cooker, select the ‘soup’ setting or cook on manual for 15 minutes.

Once cooked, the chicken breast will be tender and ready for shredding. To finish it off, just shred the chicken, toss it back through and serve!

Expert tips

• Chicken breast is poached in the soup, to be shredded and stirred through the soup at the end. Leftover roast chicken or a rotisserie chicken from the supermarket can be used instead, to save time. Just stir it through the simmering soup at the end, until heated through.
• To make it vegetarian or vegan, skip the chicken and swap the chicken stock for vegetable stock.
• Add a tablespoon of chipotle sauce to add depth and smoky flavour.
• Adjust the spice – do you like it spicy? Add some jalapeños or adjust the chilli powder to taste.
• Taste and adjust. Depending on the tomatoes and stock you use, you may need to adjust the seasoning to taste at the end. Taste the finished soup and add seasoning, lime juice or chilli, as needed.
• Additional toppings – the soup makes a complete and filling meal on its own, but it can also be topped with a selection of your favourite garnishes. Try some toasted tortilla strips, crumbled tortilla chips, coriander, grilled corn, diced avocado, sour cream, Mexican cheese, jalapeños or guacamole.

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Mexican Soup with Chicken

This Mexican soup is fresh, flavourful and perfect for lunch or dinner! Shredded chicken, corn, black beans and vegetables are simmered in a rich tomato base that is loaded with Mexican flavours. Top it with some crunchy tortilla chips, avocado and lime for the perfect meal.

5 from 12 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Appetizer, lunch, Main Course

Cuisine: Mexican

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes

0 minutes minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes minutes

Servings: 5

Calories: 291kcal

Author: Andrea Geddes

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients 

Metric – US Customary

 

0.5x1x2x3x

• ▢ 2 chicken breasts 500 grams. Or, add some leftover chicken at the end.
• ▢ 5 cups liquid chicken stock or use vegetable stock if preferred
• ▢ 1 brown onion chopped
• ▢ 2 small carrots finely diced
• ▢ 2 celery stalks diced
• ▢ 1-2 potatoes finely diced
• ▢ 1 cup corn kernels frozen
• ▢ 4 garlic cloves chopped
• ▢ ½ tablespoon dried oregano
• ▢ 1 ½ cups black beans canned
• ▢ 1 ½ cups diced canned tomatoes or passata
• ▢ 2 tablespoons tomato paste heaped
• ▢ ½ teaspoon dried chilli or, to taste
• ▢ ½ tablespoon sweet paprika
• ▢ ½ tablespoon cumin ground
• ▢ juice of ½ a lime juice of half a lime

Optional Toppings (choose your favourite)

• ▢ sour cream
• ▢ chopped avocado
• ▢ fresh coriander (cilantro)
• ▢ Mexican cheese blend grated
• ▢ tortilla strips tortilla chips, crumbled
• ▢ lime wedges
• ▢ guacamole
• ▢ jalapenos
• ▢ crumbled tortilla chips plain, salted

Instructions

For stove top

• Slice the chicken breasts into 2-3 pieces each and place all of the ingredients into a large pot.
• Bring the soup to a boil and then simmer over medium heat for around 15 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender and the chicken is cooked through.
• Once cooked, carefully remove the chicken from the soup and place onto a board. Using two forks, shred the chicken into small pieces and stir back through the soup.
• Serve immediately in bowls and add your favourite toppings (sour cream, Mexican cheese, chopped avocado, guacamole, fresh coriander, lime wedges, jalapenos or crumbled tortilla chips). Enjoy!

For slow or pressure cooker

• Place all of the soup ingredients together in the slow or pressure cooker pot.
• For slow cooker, select either 'LOW' setting for 6-8 hours or 'HIGH' setting for 3-4 hours. For pressure cooker, select the 'SOUP' setting, or 'manual' setting and cook for 15 minutes (allow time for pressure to build as well).
• Once cooked, remove the chicken and shred with two forks. Return the chicken to the soup and stir through.
• Serve immediately in bowls and add your favourite toppings (sour cream, grated cheese, chopped avocado, guacamole, fresh coriander, lime wedges, jalapenos and crumbled tortilla strips). Enjoy!

Video

Notes

1. Chicken breast is poached in the soup, to be shredded and stirred through the soup at the end. Leftover roast chicken or a rotisserie chicken from the supermarket can be used instead, to save time. Just stir it through the soup at the end, until heated through.
2. To make it vegetarian, skip the chicken and swap the chicken stock for vegetable stock.
3. Add a tablespoon of chipotle sauce to add depth and smoky flavour.
4. Adjust the spice – do you like it spicy? Add some jalapeños or adjust the chilli powder to taste.
5. Taste and adjust. Depending on the tomatoes and stock you use, you may need to adjust the salt to taste at the end. Taste and add seasoning, lime juice or chilli, as needed.
6. Additional toppings – the soup makes a complete and filling meal on its own, but it can also be topped with a selection of your favourite garnishes. Try some toasted tortilla strips, crumbled tortilla chips, coriander, diced avocado, sour cream, Mexican cheese, jalapeños or guacamole.
7. Storage; Store the leftover soup (without toppings) in an airtight container in the fridge. It will keep for 3-4 days. Before eating, reheat until steaming hot all the way through.
8. Reheating; Add the soup to a large soup pan or saucepan and cook on medium heat until simmering and steaming hot, all the way through.
9. Freezing; This soup can be frozen to enjoy later. Before freezing, allow the soup to cool. Place it into an airtight container and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight or at room temperature and reheat by bringing it to a boil in a soup/saucepan.
10. Please note that the nutrition information is based on the soup being divided into 5 bowls, with one bowl being one serve. The nutritional information is an estimate only and does not take into account any additional toppings or sides served with the soup.
11. This recipe is made using Australian cups and spoon measurements. Any reference to cups or spoons in this recipe is in Australian metric. Due to cup sizes varying from country to country, I advise adjusting if necessary.
12.  

Nutrition

Calories: 291kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 53mg | Sodium: 498mg | Potassium: 1137mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 4080IU | Vitamin C: 17mg | Calcium: 79mg | Iron: 5mg

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Update Notes: This recipe was originally published in June 2019, but was re-published with new information and photos in March 2023.